Spanning over 25 acres, be amazed by the sensational sights, colours, and fragrances of the ten stunning feature gardens. Explore each garden one-by-one and enjoy an exciting journey through the thousands of flowers, trees, and shrubs with discovery at every turn.
Bask in a lavish array of colour and scent found in the Rose Garden with hundreds and thousands of roses on display, rest above the 10 metre high waterfall, of the Sunken Garden and take in the superb views from the lookout; or step back in time with all our favourite fairytale characters in the Storybook Garden.
Along the eight kilometres of walking paths are more than six thousand trees, one million ground covers and six hundred thousand shrubs. A floral display featuring a variety of plants and statuary, all of a standard that you won’t see elsewhere in Australia.
Hunter Valley Gardens is also wheelchair friendly and allows access to all areas. You can find out more here about wheelchairs availability at Garden Entry.
The Vintry. Hunter Valley Accommodation, just 8 minutes from Hunter Valley Gardens
The Sunken Garden
One of the more diverse of the feature gardens, the Sunken Garden has an array of evergreen and deciduous trees as well as smaller shrubs and annuals that offer a spectacular display all year round.
The Sunken Garden features a majestic 10 metre high waterfall and garden beds ablaze with the colour of magnificent annual displays. Enjoy the path ways framed by hundreds of roses and spectacular views of the entire property from the pergola at the top of the waterfall.
The Storybook Garden
Featuring timeless nursery rhyme characters, the Storybook Garden is a delight for all ages, taking visitors on a journey through childhood dreams, memories and fantasies.
Just entering the Storybook garden is an experience in itself – through a giant storybook being “read” by topiary giraffes.
Walking through the garden to the sounds of all your favourite nursery rhymes, you will see topiary animals such as horses, teddy bears, ducks and many others.
‘Larger-than-life’ nursery rhyme characters and spectacular murals greet you at every corner, offering excellent photo opportunities. Join Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill as they tumble down the hill, Alice in Wonderland at the Mad Hatters Tea Party, Little Bo Peep and much much more.
The Rose Garden
Featuring over 8000 spectacular roses full of fragrance and beauty, the Rose Garden is shaped as a corkscrew – highlighting an association with the Hunter Valley vineyards as well as offering maximum views of the stunning flora.
Enclosing the Rose Garden are four pergolas, ideal for relaxing to view the roses, and a variety of climbers which, in time, will create the feeling of total immersion within flowers and fragrance.
The rose varieties within the garden includes: Double Delight, Charles De-Gaulle, Freesia, Fragrance, Marlena, Bonica and Blue Moon. In total there are over 150 different varieties of roses with a total of 35,000 rose bushes throughout the property.
The Oriental Garden
The Oriental Garden draws its influence from primarily Japanese and Korean gardens and is a place of harmony, balance and serenity.
A precisely trimmed and manicured garden with the largest lawn of ‘Zoysia Grass’ in Australia, is garden features a two-story traditional pagoda surrounded by natural Australian granite and has a superb late winter and spring display of Azaleas, Camellias and Magnolias.
The Lakes Walk
Enter the Lakes Walk to the sound of a small waterfall and meandering streams whilst taking in the spectacular views of mass plantings of seasonal annuals and spring flowering trees and shrubs.
This special area of the Gardens is a place for reflection, peace and tranquillity.
With beautiful flora and the lovely Hunter Valley Gardens Chapel in the background, enjoy a gentle walk by the picturesque lake’s edge, taking in the bustling bird life or relax in the shade of the rotunda or one of the huge Weeping Willow trees.
The Italian Grotto
Experience a taste of the Mediterranean when you visit the Italian Grotto. Featuring a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi (Patron Saint of Animals and the Environment) the Italian Grotto is lined with red Bougainvillea, pink Wisterias and cascading Geraniums and Pelargoniums.
Lavender also features on the banks of the Italian Grotto and a rustic gazebo provides stunning garden views.
The Indian Mosaic
Entering through 180 year old antique Indian Gates flanked by bronze elephants, wind your way through a Syzygium australe (Lillypilly) hedge to discover a superb mosaic of ground covering plants and pebbles.
Of contemporary design featuring Purple Ajuga and Gold Acorus, this garden has all the aromas of India with Curry plants filling the air with their spicy scent.
Relax in the Indian Tea House finely crafted with traditional Indian decor – the perfect shady spot to enjoy views of garden and its topiary elephants
The Formal Garden
The largest of its type in Australia, the Formal Garden was influenced by the formal garden designs of France and England.
Bordered by Manchurian Pear Trees with beautiful white flowers and dramatic bronze foliage in autumn, all under planted by manicured buxus hedging, this garden features a variety of topiary and finely manicured lawns. Specimen trees of evergreen Magnolia grandiflora (Little Gem) are also featured in the garden along with 3000 bushes of Rosa chameleon roses.
Be sure to make a wish at the “Wishing Fountain” with this garden, from which all proceeds are donated to local charities.
The Chinese Garden
Crossing green Chinese slate, visitors enter the Chinese Moongate Garden through a traditional Moongate Flanked by two bronzed Temple Guardians.
Incorporating traditional elements of rugged rocks, raked decorative gravels and slow growing grass, this garden features Camellia sasquanta, Gingko trees, Bamboo and many edible fruits including Cumquats, Mulberries and Persimmons.
And, of course, the garden would not be complete without a happy Buddha.
The Border Garden
As you enter this garden you are surrounded by intricate floral patterns contained within manicured box hedging.
Designed to reflect the classic French Parterre style of garden, this garden is surrounded by pleached hedges of weeping figs, an Australian native, with European boxwood used to create interested hedges and shapes throughout the garden.
The garden incorporates a number of hand-carved Indian marble water features and statuary representing the four seasons – truly a signature garden and a place of romance and elegance. Walk along the paths within the garden or take in the sights from above on the viewing platform.